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Subject:RE: OFF-TOPIC question about an office thing From:"Winkelspecht, Laura" <Laura -dot- Winkelspecht -at- shopko -dot- com> To:<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Fri, 16 Jun 2006 12:46:49 -0500
James Jones wondered about the affects of perfume on coworkers. I'm on
digest, so please excuse me if this has been covered already. I am one
of the ones affected by perfume and other scents. I get a stuffy/runny
nose and a severe headache with many scents. All products in my home
have to go through a sniff test before they make it in. It doesn't
matter if I *like* the smell. It will still irritate me.
One time working in a cube farm, I was severely affected by a perfume
that someone FOUR aisles over was wearing. (The office was nearly empty,
so I couldn't figure out where it was coming from at first. I thought
maybe someone had broken a bottle on the floor.)
I have had conversations with people about their perfumes, when
necessary. I tell them they smell great, but the scent is giving me
trouble. After that, they are usually very good about not wearing
perfume at the office.
My mom used to tell me that the guide for wearing scent should be that
someone sitting next to you at a movie theater should have to lean in to
whisper in your ear in order to smell your perfume. If more people
followed this advise, I'd be much happier.
Another thing that businesses should consider is lost productivity from
those affected by scent. If I have a headache, I am less productive.
You'd think that companies (and managers) would want to make sure that
their workers are in an environment that makes them as productive as
possible (wishful thinking most of the time, I know).
Laura Winkelspecht, fragrance-free in Wisconsin
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